Sheet-manipulating mechanism for printing-presses.



E. L. JONES. SHEET MANIPULATING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING PRESSES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 28, 1908. RENEWED JULY I9. 1915.

1,1 75,807. Patented Mar. 14, 1916.

6 SHEETSSHEET I.

wi tmwmw (Li/Lo E. L. JONES.

SHEET MANIPULATING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING PRESSES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 28. 1908. REN'EWED JULY 19. 1915.

Patented Mar. 14, 1916.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

-wucn foz Q-Vi tnaaac a E. L. JONES.

SHEET MANIPULATING MECHANISM FORPRINTING PRESSES.

APPLICATION FILED APR.28, I908- RENEWED JULY 19. I915. mmwm Patented Mar. 14:, 1916.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 3- I I awwemtoz v zwzi uw v W aflowua- 7M tmeooco E. L. JONES.

SHEET MANIPULATING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING PRESSES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 28, 1908. RENEWED JULY 19, 1915.

U2], D Patented Mar. 14, 1916.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 4- Fig. 5

E. L. JONES.

SHEET MANIPULATING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING PRESSES.

APPLICATION FILED AP'.2B,1908; RENEWED JULY 19. 1915.

l, 1 75,80? Patented Mar. 14, 1916.

6 SHEETSSHEET 5- sammxmwa E. L. JONES.

; SHEET M'ANIPULATING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING PRESSES.

APPLICATION FILED APR.28, 190s. RENEWED JULY 19. 1915.

1,175,807. Patented Mar. 14, 1916.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 6 IiglE.

nvcmloz @FIQ.

EDWARD L. JONES, OF DOVER, DELAWARE, ASSIGNCR T0 ARTHUR B. HUEY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

S HEET-MANIPULATING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING-PRESSES.

Application filed April as, 1908;

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I. EDWARD L. JONES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dover, in the county of Kent and State of Delaware, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sheet-Manipulating Mechanisinfor Printing-Presses; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The general object of this invention is to improve the construction and increase the efficiency of operation of sheet-manipulating mechanism for sheet-printing presses, such as job-presses.

The invention has special reference to the means for separating the sheets as they are successively fed to the printing mechanism.

The invention will hereinafter be fully described by reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and'then more particularly pointed out in the claims at the end of this description.

It should be mentioned that the automatic sheet-feeder, which constitutes the principal subject-matter of this invention, is applicable to various types of printing-presses, but- -is illustrated herein applied to a rotary press which is also illustrated in my copending application filed April 28, 1908, Serial No. 429,636.

In said drawings: Figure 1 is a lefthand side elevation of a printing-press having my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a right-hand side elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the type and impression cylinders and automatic sheetfeeding apparatus. tion through the feed-table is taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 5, while the section through the registering-table is taken on line 33 'of Fig. 12, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows. Fig. 4 is an end view of the impression-cylinder. Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the automatic sheet-feeder. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a part of the sheetfeeder, including the hopper for the package or pile of sheets, the paper-buffers, and the pneumatic sheet-separator. Fig. 7 is a vertical section of the sheet-separator, showing the smaller feed-rolls in elevation, and representing a sheet in the act of feeding.

Specification of Letters Patent.

In this figure, the sec- Patented Mar. 14, 1916.

Serial No. 429,635. Renewed July 19, 1915. Serial No. 40,812.

Fig. 8 is a detail sectional view of the sheetseparator at starting position. Fig. 9 is a similar viewat release position. Fig. 10 is a sectional view of the valve-connection between the suction-roller and suction-pump, at the position corresponding to Fig. 8. Fig. 11 is a similar view at the position corresponding to Fig. 9. Fig. 12 is a plan view of the registering-table. Fig. 13 is a bottom plan view of half of the registering-table.

In the drawings, a rotary press-mechanism is shown mounted in an appropriate frame A constructed on a pedestal-base.

B denotes the type-cvlinder on which is affixed the stereotype plate constituting the printing form.

C denotes the impression-cylinder, provided with the usual tympan or blanket and with paper-grippers and shoofiy.

D indicates the ink-fountain. and E the distributing and composition rolls for inking the printing form.

F denotes as a whole the automatic sheetfeeding attachment which is the principal subject-matter of this invention, and by means of which the sheets are successively separated, fed and presented in proper registration for taking by the grippers on the impression-cylinder.

G is a delivery-table upon which the printed sheets are dropped when freed from the impression-cylinder, and H is an adjustable receiving table for collecting the finv ished sheets.

Motion is communicated from drive-shaft 1 having a pinion 2 (Fig. 2) meshing with gear 3 which in turn meshes with gear 4, whereby the'type and impression cvlinders are caused to revolve oppositely at the same speed. Pinion 2 also meshes with gear 5 on shaft 6 which through suitable connections operates the fountain-roll and ductorroll of the inking-apparatus.

Power for running the press is applied by a belt (not shown) adapted to be shifted by a controlling lever 7 (Fig. 1,) carrying a belt shifter 8 for throwing the belt from a loose to a fast pulley 9 on shaft 1.

' Referring to the impression-cylinder C, I

.whose surface is dressed with the proper tympan or blanket equipment, 10 indicates the grippers (Figs. 3 and 4) which close on the edge of thesheet presented to the cylinder and carry the sheet around in contact with the printing form; 11 is the gripper-rod and 12 the gripper-cam or tumbler which at each revolution is engaged by fixed pins or studs 13 vand 14 for respectively opening and closing the grippers.

15-is the spring which holds the grippers either in open or closed position. v I

16 denotes the shoofly-fingers, 17 the shoofiy-rod. and 18 a crank on one end of said rod, which when the grippers are opened is struck by a fixed stud 13 for operating the shoofly to kick ofl or free the printed sheet from the impression-cylinder for delivery upon the conveying tapes of the delivery-table G.

As the inking-apparatus is commonly regarded as the front of a printing-press, corresponding relative terms will be employed in this specification. Accordingly the impression-cylindermay be considered as located rearward of the type-cylinder, and the automatic sheet-feeder at the rear of the press above the delivery-table.

The automtic sheet-feeder F comprises a frame 20 supporting. preferably at a convenient incline, a reciprocating feed-table 21 and a stationary registering-table 22, the latter under the former. The reciprocating feed-table, operating in coniunction with a pneumatic sheet-separator, directs the sheets successively to coacting feed-rolls 60, 61, 62

(Fig. 3), which feed them to the registeringtable, from which the sheets are taken by the grippers of the impression-cylinder.

Feed-table 21, being adapted to reciprocate, is slidably supported by and between the upper side-bars of the frame 20, with coacting gibs and gib-ways, as shown more clearly in Fig. 5. Reciprocatory motion is imparted to said feed-table from cranks-orcrank-wheels 23 on the shaft of the type cylinder, connected by connecting-rods 24. with lateral arms 25 aflixed to the table (Figs. 1, 2 and 5).

hopper or receptacle for the pile of paper-sheets is provided on the feed-table by side-guides 26 and an end-gage 27, all of which are adjustably-secured by screwclamps 28 fastened in slots 29 arranged cruciform in the feed-table (Figs. 3 and 5). This permits the side-guides 26 to be adjusted laterally according to the width of the paper, while the end-gage 27 can be shifted back and forth to adjust the pile or package to proper position for separation by the pneumatic sheet-separator. The range of adjustability of the end-gage 27 is increased by a longitudinal slot in its base. The side'guides 26, consisting of elongated plates, extend beyond the front of the feedtable, since the paper pile also extends beyond and rests on the suction-roll of the pneumatic sheet-separator.

The pneumatic sheet-separator (Figs. 3 and 5 to 9) comprises a tubular or hollow oscillating shaft or suction-roller 30, in

communication with a vacuum-pump and having a suction-orifice or aperture 31' for gripping the bottom sheet of the pile of paper, which, projecting beyond the front end of the feed-table, rests upon said shaft and is carried back and forth thereover drilled, is preferably slightly enlarged and is also longitudinally flattened in line with the aperture to present a flat surface for the bottom sheet and enable the air-suction to secure a perfect hold on the paper. This flattened surface, in which the-mouth of the aperture 31 is formed, comes approximately in the plane of the upper surface of the feed-table when the suction-aperture is turned back to raised position by the backward travel of the feed table (Fig. 3).

The variable space or gap between the feed-table and suction roller is bridged at either side of the central boss of the shaft by flexible strips 34, preferably-of canvas, which extend from the front edge of the feed-table in the plane thereof and are carried around and under the shaft 30 and fastened to retractile springs 35 which in turn are fastened to the under side of the feed table, whereby said canvas strips are kept taut (Figs. 3, 5 and 6). These strips constitute a sort of extension of. the feedtable to support the pile of sheets and pre-. vent sagging between the feed-table and oscillating shaft 30.

In front of the suction-roller or shaft 30 is an inclined tongue 36 under which the bottom sheet is drawn which the remainder of the pile rides at each forward travel of the feed-table. See Figs; 3, 5, 7, 8 and 9. This tongue is provided with lateral Wings or extensions 37, which are curved to overlie' the suctionroller, and the edges of these wings are oppositely inclined or oblique with relation to the suction roller, the direction of obliquity being converging toward the suction-aper ture 31'. The tongue and wings as a whole constitute a lip with oppositely-receding edges (Fig. 5). This prevents doubling up of the corners of the sheets, where the paper may have a tendency to curl, and avoids any interference with the perfect and regular feed; because, as the sheets are caught at the center by the suction-aperture 31 and carried under the lip or tongue, the front end of the sheet is drawn under the edges of the wings 37 progressively from the center toward opposite sides, and any curl or bend by suction and over in the corners of the papers is thus gradually eliminated. In other words, the converging oblique edges of the wings 37 have the eifect, practically, of smoothing out the paper by passing progressively over the sheet from the middle toward its opposite s1 es.

The tongue 36 is shown hinged to a bracket 38 on an upper cross-bar mounted on frame 20, and by means of a set-screw 39 (Fig. 7) the tongue can be adjusted according to the thickness or weight of paper a to be fed. The tip of the tongue should dicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2.

lie slightly below the upper surface of the suction-roller 30. ,0. a

A. vacuum or air-suction pump, which may be of any approved construction, is in- The numeral 40 denotes the. pump, whose piston may be driven by a cam-crank or eccentric 41 on shaft 6. The pump-chamber is in suction-roller or oscillating shaft '30.

communication through pipe or tube 42 with" a'cap 43 on a reduced end of the tubular As shown in Figs. 10 and 11, the connection constitutes an oscillating valve. A port 44 in tube 30 registers alternately with two ports 45 and 46 in the case or cap, the former of which establishes communication with the suction-pump while the latter establishes communication with the atmosphere. The

ports 45 and 46 may therefore be respectively termed suction and release ports. At initial forward travel'of the feed-table 21, the port 44 reg'sters first'with the suctionport 45, whereby the suction-orifice 31 (Fig.

I '8) attracts the bottom sheet of the pile and y separates it from its fellows by drawing it under the end of the tongue 36; and the port 44 then comes in registration with the re leasepo-rt 46, thus releasing the sheet from the suction-orifice 31 (Fig. 9) and allowing the movement of the feed-table to direct the sheetto the feed-rolls 60, 61 (Fig. 7). On

the time of registration of the ports 44 and 45 relative to the initial position of the suction-oritice 31. 1

At the-discharge end of the hopper, but

fers or stops 56 are provided to abut the front of the package or pile so as to prevent thsecond sheet from-following the first as well as to keep the pile in place (Figs. 3. 6

and 7). {These bufiers consist ofarms depending from a rod 51 which is mounted to turn in open ngs 1n the side-guides 26. At one side'of the hopper, the .roda51 carries feed-roll 60. on a post 67 secured to and projecting from an'arm 52 on which acts a strong spring 53 whereby the buffers 50 are normally held in position to abut the front of the pile of paper. Said arm 52 is adapted to abut a stop or lug 54 on the outer-face of the adjacent side guide to limit the position of the buffers 50 under action of spring 53. A. bracket 55 on this same side-guide extends beside the head of the arm 52, which is thus embraced between the side-guide and said bracket, whereby the rod 51 carrying the buifers is prevented from end-wise movement. The rod 51 also carries another de-' pending arm 56 provided with a roller 57 at its lower end. When the feed-table moves to its backward position, the roller 57 rides upon the shaft 30, thereby turning the rod 51 so as to rock the bufiers 50 away from the front of the paper pile. On forward travel of the feed-table, by the time the bottom sheet has been sucked under the tongue 36,

the roller 57 leaves the shaft 30 and thus allows the buffers 50 to snap back into position to hold the paper pile; and it will be noted in Figs. 6 and? that the lower ends of said buffers are formed with lips or small flanges 58 to catch under the pile from which the bottom-sheet is being separated. -During the major reciprocation of the feed-table, while the roller 57 is OK the shaft 30, the bufi'ers maintain av substantially constant pressure against the front of the pile, as

distinguished from the spring-buffers or cushions heretofore used in connection with apparatus of this class and which are objectionable on account of the varying pressure which they exert with consequent,,liability to buckle the pile of paper. It will 'be noted that the rod '51 is longitudinally grooved and that the several arms carried thereby are rigidly affixed by thumb screws 59 tapped through the heads of the arms and engaging in the groove of the rod.

In front of the oscillating suction-roller is .themainfeed-roll 60 and coacting smaller rolls 61 and 62 arranged to receive the sheet which is separated and to feed it to the'registering table 22 below (Figsf2 and 7). The feed-roll 60, which drives its coacting rolls by contact, is driven from gear 4 through an idler 63 meshing with pinion 64 on the roll-shaft (Fig. 2). The rolls 61 and 62 are j ournaled in a frame 65 (Figs.

2 and 7) against which bears a spring 66 forcing said rolls incontact with the main Sald frame 65 is supported a cross-bar on the forward end h of the the main feed-roll 60; said minute roller '68 being-journaled in spring-pressed arms'69 attached to the sides of the frame 65. The

purpose of this little roller 68 is to insure the timely delivery of the sheet of paper. As well-understood the sheet which is being fed should drop upon the registering table as soon as it is released from the feed-rolls.

7 But in practice it is found that the end of the sheet will sometimes have a tendency to hang upon the last small, roll, owing to the diameter of the latter, the roll providing a sort of shelf beyond its point of contact with the main feed-roll. To overcome this difiiculty, the minute roller 68 has been added as the last coacting'feed-roll, from which the paper will readily drop offas soonas it is released, as'the radius of this roller 68 is too small to hang the sheet. The further function of the small roller 68 is to keep the paper high to avoid contact with the under sheet as it passes to the grippers. Stripping-fingers 70,- secured to a crossrod 71 and projecting into peripheral grooves in the main feed-roll 60, strip'the sheet from said feed-roll as it emerges from the minute roller 68; v v

Running rearward over the registering table (Figs. 3 and 12) are endless tapes 72 for conveying the sheet to] proper position for registry as it is fed from the feed rolls. These tapes run on rollers 73 and 74 on shafts-journaled at the opposite ends of the registering-table, and motion is communicated from the gear 4 which meshes with a pinion 75 on the shaft of the rollers73.

The bearings for the latter shaft are attached to the under side of the registeringtable and the rollers 73 are arranged in transverse openings in the table so that the upper. surfaces of said rollers are substan tially flush with the top of the registeringtable. Said tapes 72 carry the sheet rear:

ward under forwardly extending "sheetguides 76 and between lateral gages or sheetguides 80 and 81. The sheet-guides 76 consist of forwardly-extending rods curved up- .7 sheet will go down upon the lower table.-

Back gages77, carried by adjustlng-rods 78,-

wardtoward the feed-rolls to insure that the are, provided to limit thepositionto which the sheet is carried on the registering-table. Said bacl r-gages are shown formed tostraddle-the tapes 72 and, the rods 76. Both sets of. rods 76 and 78 aregs'hown adjustably secured by set-screws in brackets 79 mounted on. a cross-rod which is supported at the rear of the registering-table,

Both lateralgages or sheetguides 80 and 81 "are adjustably-securedby screw-clamps ,82 engaging in cross-slots 83, for regulating the spacingaccordingto the width of the paper. One of said gages, in this case the left-hand age 81, isadapted to vibrate- "and may befoa led a jogger, its function being to. jog each sheet over to the righthand gage 80 to efiect th'e perfect registration on the sidewise ad ustment of the sheet,

the jogger, the slide 84 has a depending stud 85 engagedby the forked or bifurcated end of a spring-retracted lever 86 which is pivoted to the feeder-frame under the reg istering-table and has a short arm carrying a roller 87 which at each operation is engaged by a segmental cam 88 on one end of the impression-cylinder. An adjusting screw 89' limits the outward movement of the slide 84,

The back-gages 77 on the registering- "table are so adjusted that the front end of the sheet will extend slightly beyond the front end of the registering-table and rest upon the surface of the impression-cylinder (3. As soon as the sheet is brought to this position, the grippers close thereon and take the sheet from the registering-table and around with the impression-cylinder in contact 'Wlth the printing-form on the. typecylinder whereupon the grippers release v andthe shoofly kicks off the sheet, allowing air to get under it, and as it leaves the impression cylinder it passes on to the delivery table G and is carried by delivery-tapes thereon to the receiving table H.

The operation may now' be summarized as follows: Fig. 3 shows the machine at the beginning and also the completion of a cycle of operations, for atthe same time-that a printed sheet is leaving the impressioncylinder the reciprocatory feed-table is' ready to start the feed of another sheet, while still another sheet has been fed to the registering-table. By means of end-gage 27 of the hopper, the pile of sheets is adjusted on the feed-table so that the front end of the pile will rest over the suction aperture' I 31 of the suction-roller 30, the said aperture having been brought to raised position by thebackward travel of the feed-table. During one rotation of the impression-cylinder, the feed-table makes a complete reciprocation. As the feed-table moves forward, the suction-roller 30, through port 44 register ing with suction-port 45 (Fig. 10), is in communication with the vacuum-pump 40,

thereby creating suction at the aperture 31" -whieh attracts the bottom sheet of the pile and holds it down until the front edge of the sheet has passed under the tongue 36 (Fig. 9), the remaining. bulk of the pile riding over said tongue; whereupon the release port 46 comes into registration with port 44 and releases the sheet (Fig. 11).: The bottom sheet being thus separated is directed by the forward travel ot'the feedtable-tothe coacting feed rollers 60, 61 (Fig; g p

automatic feeder attachment overlies the 7) which grip it and carry. it around between rolls 60, 62 and 60, 68 to the "regis-' v 'obstruct access to the impression-cylinder V tering-table (Fig. 3), where the tapes carry it back to the gages'77 meanwhile the feedtable 21 returns to its original positionpthe pile of paper being carried back therewith and maintained in place by the bufi'ers 50. This completes the first revolution of the impression-cylinder. During the seco'nd revo-,

illiZiOIL (while a second sheet is 'being fed in like manner) thteeetrniih on the end of the impression-cylinder (Figs. 4 and, 13) passes the friction-roller 87 on the jogger, thereby operating the spring-retracted lever 88, which moves the joggerSl inward and jogs the sheet over to the left-hand guide or gage 80, giving the uniform register on the side-wise adjustment of t the sheet. The grippers 10 of the impression-cylinder, operated by the closing-pin l/tyengaging the gripper-cam, now close upon the top edge of the sheet and draw it off the registeringtable and around incontact with the printing-form; while at the same time the second sheet is bein fed down upon the registering-tahle. T e-first sheet; having been carried in contact with the type, is released by opening of thegrippers, actuated by the opening-pin 13 engaging the gripper-cam, and immediately the shcofiy I6 is operated by the pin 19,'thufs kicking oil the sheet and allowing-it to drop upon the delivery tapes of the table G. 'At'the "time the grippers opento release theprinted sheet, the second sheet has been fed to the back-gages 77 on the registering-table, ready to be jogged over to the left-hand gage 80, and a third sheet is just ready to be fed by the feedtahle.

As previously stated, perfect registration of the sheet depends not only upon the actionof thejegger Bland adjustmentor" the back gages 2'7, but "also upon the grippers Ade 1 the same point.- f-For this purpose the gripclosing on'the edgeot each'sheet at exactly.

pers are positively operated by engagement of the pins 13'; and 14 in a relatively long slot in the gripper cam or tumbler 1'2, and the spring 15 is depended upononly to hold the grippers opened or closed. Thiscauses the closing-stud 14 to leave. the cam only when thegrippers close on the sheet, and consequently they close always atthe same point. it has-been found in practice that when the gripper-cam is madewith theor dina'ry shorter slot, variations in 'speed'I-vot the press would cause the grippersto close at difi'erent points, sometimes tal zinga one fourth inch bite on the sheet and sometimes as inuch as a three eightsinch-bite, thus imparing the register. This ditfieuigty is oh- ,hence need not he :jdescrihedherein.

via'tediby the longer slot in the grippercam, and the positive operation of the grippers as pointed out.

for dressing its surface or applying the tympan. For this reason, the front of the "frame 20 is constructed at 90 in the form of a right angle, iitting upon correspondingly shaped corners, of the sides ofthe frame A,

and theverticallegs-of the.ang1ed portions v are hinged at 91 to the rear of the frame A, while the horizontal legs are secured to the top of the main frame by bolts. 92. On

loosening the fastening nuts of the bolts 92,

"the feeder attachment can be swung rearward and ofi'the impression-cylinder. The

' connecting rods 24 are hookedover grooved collars on the arms 25 on the feed-table to permit convenient disconnection when the automatic feeder is to be'swung ofi the irn- 1 pression-cylinder. a I The press herein selected for. illustrating the inv'entionis equipped with an automatic throw-off mechanism for separating the impr ession-cylinder from the type-cylinder when no sheet has been fed or taken by the v i grippers, but when the type-.cyli1'1derv and impression-cylinder are separated by the op: eration of the throw-0d mechanism these 'cyiinders continue to-rotate and the operation of the throw-out does not afiect the to tation of the impression-cylinder and the type-cylinder. This throw-0E mechanism constitutes the subject-matter of my afore said application Serial No. 4295636, and ihe throw-off of the impression-cylinder, and

' accompanying shift of the gear at, necessitates a slight shift of 'the gear 75. which drives.the convey1ng tapes on the 'registeringwtable, and for this purpose the registering-tabie is adapted for sliding adjustment, the pin on 75 being maintained in. mesh with the gear 4 but shifting-'therewitln Having thus. described my invention-,

what I claimv as new and desire to secure by LettersPatent of the United States is: i'

In an automaticsheet-feeder, the com, bination of a reciprocatory; feed-table, aro

tative sheet-separating suction-roller over whichpa' pile of sheets is "reciprocatedbyi said feed-table,- a-hopper "for the pile of ing its side-members -'forwardlyext'ending heyond the same, a. rod transversely-mountmembers andcarrying one or' morej depend-J arm on said rod provided with a roller ed in the forward portions of said sidewhich, on completion and beginning of each reciprocation, rides upon said suction-roller and thereby displaces said buffer-arms.

' 2. In a device of the character stated, a reciprocatory feed table for holding'a pile of sheets, an oscillating suction roller having a Suction opening formed therein and vprovided with :a flattened portion around v and over which the sheet is fed from the the said suction opening, in order to provide a fiat bearing surface for the sheet, when held thereagainst, a tongue projecting toa point adjacent said suction roller, a feed roll situated beneath said tongue and spaced.

fromsaid suction roller and over which the sheet is fed from said suction roll, said suction roll and feed roll being mounted to retain their same relative positions at all times with the upper surface of said roll in a horizontal plane above the upper surface of said suction roller, and cooperating feed rolls suitably mounted adjacent said first mentionedfeed roll.

3. In a device of the character stated, a"

reciprocatory feed table, a rotative sheet separating suction roll, a tongue projecting to a point adjacent said suction roll andhaving lateral wings upon each side, which are oppositely inclined or oblique with relation to the suction roll and extend downward-1y, a feed roll situated beneath said tongue and spaced from said suction roll suction roll, and cooperating feed rolls adjacent said first mentioned feed roll.

4. In an automatic sheet feeder, the combination of-a reciprocatory feed table, a rotative sheet separating suction roll over which a pile of sheets is reciprocated by said-feed table, a rod transversely mounted in the forward portion of said feed table and carrying one or more depending buffer arms. for the forward end of the pile of sheets carried by said table, means for maintaining said rod in its normal position, and means, which on the completion of each re-' ciprocation'of the feed table, rides upon said suction roll and thereby rock's said buffer arms.

5. In an automatic sheet feeder, a reciprocatory feed table having an open-ended hopper for a pile of sheets, a cooperative sheetseparator, an abutment for the forward end of the'pi le located at the open or discharge end of the hopper and carried by the feed table, and automatic means at one side of the hopper and adapted for direct engage ment with said sheet separator on the completion of each reciprocation of the feed table for displacing said abutment during attraction of the sheet which is being separated. f

6. In an automatic sheet feeder, a reciprocato'ry feed table having an open-ended hopper for a pile of sheets,-a cooperative sheetseparator, a rod mounted transversely in the forward open end of said hopper, one

or more depending bufler-arms' carried by said rod, and means. at one side of the hopper and adapted for direct engagement with said sheet-separator-on the completion of each reciprocation of the. feed table for maintaining said rod in position and for.

turning it to displace the buffer-arms during attraction of the sheetby the sheetseparator, said-arm or arms having bottom lips or flanges to catch under the bottom of the I p1le.' I

In apparatus of the character stated, a

8. feed-roller around which'sheets of paper can pass, means for rotating such roller, a frame supported to be slidable toward and from said roller, springs *bearing against:

said frame to force it against said feedroller, rollers journaled in said frame to bear against ,said feed-roller, arms eXtend-' ing to a point beneath said feed roller and pivotally mounted upon said frame to move therewith and to vhave movement lndependentlyther'eof, a small-diameter roller journaled in said arms, and springs bearing against said arms to force them and said roller against the feed-roller.

In testimony whereof I aiii'x my signature, in presence of'two witnesses.

EDWARD L. JONES.

Witnesses:

HARRY Mares, HERBERT M. J ONES. 

